Pollution in Cebu, Philippines

I've been living in Cebu for several years now. As others have mentioned, it is very polluted in the city, and the air quality is pretty bad unless there is a breeze, which helps. Certainly there are some industrial sources of the pollution but mainly you see older trucks and jeepneys just spewing black diesel smoke out the tailpipe, filling the air with particulates that are very harmful to those nearby. Sometimes it is so thick that it obscures the vehicle, and in the case of the jeepneys, they stop and go constantly, so when they take off again.. more black smoke.

This type of pollution is known to be carcinogenic, and such vehicles would be taken off the road in any other civilized country. There have been attempts to replace the jeepneys with clean buses but the drivers union always stands in the way. It's ironic since they breathe the same air. Sadly, most schools are also along the main roads, so the kids are breathing this and many people have asthma. As in other developing countries, there are also a lot of cooking fires in the evening that also add to the smoke and haze, making it very murky.

In addition to this issue of air pollution, the creeks and estuaries are filled with garbage that has washed downstream or been dumped, and many streets also have trash alongside the road. The people just throw the garbage and don't seem to care. Yes, I see it all the time. Of course it is more difficult when there are no trash cans and few dumpsters, but if they cared it seems they would demand that something be done about these issues. Hopefully they will.

I just got back from a 3 week trip to Cebu. It does have it's good points and bad. My issue is mostly air quality. The city itself is terrible. My friend has a condo in I.T. park and he sweeps a black dust off his floor every other day. OK, I'm from San Diego and the air here is not the best either. But Cebu had my lungs hurting. Crime? I had no problem and we were everywhere. If you are nice to people, don't flash cash and dress like a "tourist" you will be fine. Also, if you can speak Cebuano you will be fine too. Jeepneys?
Never, my friends that live there don't even ride on them. When a taxi is so cheap why bother?
Traffic sucks too. One night we could not get one mile from the business district to I.T. park. Ended up walking it. Not advisable to most tourists for sure. Sidewalk? Are you kidding.
Cebu will only get better in the coming years.

@ Ronny. Yeah , in the last 3 months since i posted a german man was shot dead by a philippino man who didnt like foreigners, his mates shot a french national and an indian national..
They were random attacks, they purposely targeted foreigners.
its not that uncommon , i have plenty of examples of this. The fact is alot and i mean alot of philippinos dont like foreigner...some of it is envoy some of it is racism but most of the time they just want your money.
Anyone who tells you the philippines is a safe place for foreigners doesnt know what theyre talking about . It is not a safe place for you by any means.
You can be die or be hurt in any country , but i guarantee you its more likely to happen in the philippines.
finallly, i have spent years over here , my wife is from cebu and she agrees with me..Most pinoys hate foreigners, dont be fooled by the fake smiles and the yes sir / maam ..etc its there job or they want something from you..Behind your back they will most likely talk about how to rob you , kill you, hurt you etc ..
Good luck

We Americans. Need not drink there're water as our systems are. Use yo the. Normal. Bacteria exposure

Over the past 4 years ive spent over a year in cebu city..The reason i stay is because im married to a resident of cebu city..Other wise i would never visit the place.
Here are some reasons why tourist would never come back to visit cebu:
1) The city is filthy!! people shit and piss on the street!! theres virtually no garbage removal at all !! the creeks are black and putrid and the place stinks!
2) Its not tourist friendly ..Residents in cebu city dont seem to like tourist at all. The way im treated by locals makes me hate the place..They are rude and aggressive. I speak visaya now so i hear the nasty things they say behind my back or in a jeepney etc. Every foreigner here that ive spoken to has said the same ..That the people are unfriendly and aggressive towards tourist.
3)Everyone one in cebu city wants to ripp you off ..Everyone wants to scam and cheat foreigners.It makes visiting the place hell.
4) Its dangerous. 8 out of 10 times i encounter snatchers on the jeepneys. I have to constantly watch my back and watch out for criminals..The city is full of criminals, its just not safe for tourist.
If the philippino government had a brain at all they would understand that tourism brings alot of money and creates jobs.
Tourism is good for your country ,why cant you idiots understand that? Why do you treat your tourist so badly?
Ive traveled to Thailand ,malaysia, indonesia, mexico, chile , india ..They all treat tourist with respect and facilated tourist needs..But the philippines is lagging way behind..
Learn to treat your tourist with respect!!
Last point is , in Australia where im from, we have many filippinos living there. We give them jobs and financial assistance. We treat them with respect and welcomeness..why cant you people return the favour? Why cant you treat tourist with respect? Assholes